Automobile-locking device.



C. F. HAUCK.

AUTOMOBILE LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATJON FILED DEC. 6, 1915.

1,198,843. PatOntedSept.19,1916.

anmmtm CF- HHUCK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

pcnanmss F; HAUcK, or IBOULDIER, COLORADO.

AUTOMOBILE-LOCKING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern Y I Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. HAUCK, a citizen of the United States, re'Siding' at' Boulder, inthe county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Automobile Locking Devices, of which thc following is a specification, referencev being had to the accompanying drawings. I I i This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in automobile attachments or. accessories, and relates' par ticularlyto a device. forlocking the gear shifting lever in neutral position and also the brake lever in its farthest applied position, whereby it will be impossible to start the car with the engine, or to move it away by pushing or towing all liability of the car being stolen or used in any way by unauthorized parties, being therebyprecluded. I

The invention has for its primary object a durable and efficient construction of, device of this character which may be cheaply manufactured and'notf liable to get out of order and which will :be capable of being readily applied to the vehicle, when required, and very easily detached therefrom by the owner or other authorized party, and which will not require any material changes in the gear changing quadrant or case or interfere in any way with the operation of the gear shifting and brake levers when these are desired for use. And the invention also aims to generally improve devices of this class so 1 as to render them more useful and commercially desirable. I

i/Vith theseand other objects in view, as will more-fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations o f.the parts that I-shall hereinafter more fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the. inven tion, reference is to be had to'the following description and accompanying drawing, in which, I I

Figure l is a top plan view of the gear shifting quadrant of an automobile with my. locking 'device applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, the section being taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective VlQ-W-Of one of the bars employed and hereinafter specifically referred to, and 4 is a-slmi- Specification or Iietterslatent.

Patented Sept; 19, 1916.-

Applicationiiled December 6, 191-5. Serial No. 65,335. x

lai' view of the plate which f orin's the main part of the locking device.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and designated in all of .the views of the accom} panying drawing by like reference characers.

Iteferring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates thev gear changing frame or quadrant of an automobile'formed' with longitudinally disposed slots L, I, H and R, for receiving the gear shifting lever 2 to shift the gears into the low, intermediate, high and reverse positions, said slots being o1ned by the neutral opening N, as customary; and 3 designates the brake. lever which is movable through a guide slot or slots 4 formed-in the quadrant 1 at oneside ofthe latter. 1 r

My improved locking device includes a plate 5 which is adapted .to extend-. over a portion of the upper face of the quadrant 1 so as to cover the intermediate and're-:. verse slots I and R, as shown, said plate heing formed at one side with a transversely extending shoulder 6, with which the brake lever 3. is adapted to abut when said lever is in its fully drawn-back position, so as tov tightly and securely apply the brakes. The plate 5 is formed contiguous to the shoulder 6, with a longitudinally extending arm 7, and it is also formed at its opposite side and spaced from the arm 7, with another, I but shorter, arm 8, the arm 7 being. designed to extend over and close the slot H and the arm 8 being designed tdextcnd Overand close part of the slot L. The arms 7 and 8 are designed .to embrace a gear shifting lever 2 and the space which is formed be tween said arms' forms ani'opening 9 for the accommodation of said-lever, said-open ing being preferably substantially co extensive with the slot or opening N hereinbefore referred to.

A finger 10 in the form of a plate, as m 7 is correspondingly formed with an upstanding eye 13, said eyes in the applied position of they parts, being disposed on upposite sides of an upstanding kcepenlt in the form of a staple which may be formed on or secured to the quadrant 1 many desired way, or secured to or formed in any desired way upon a transversely extending bar 15 which is intended to be applied to the upper face of the quadrant 'at one end thereof, said bar having down-turned ends, as shown, and said-ends being aperture d to receive a bolt- '16 which may be'the ordi nary bolt at thi end of the quadrant, al-

though preferably of slightly greater length than the ordinarvbolt so as to accommodate the ends of the bar.

At the other end of the quadrant 1,-a transversely extending bar 17 disposed, said bar being, held in place upon the quadrant preferably by a bolt 1h corresponding to the bolt ill, and the bar 17 being preferably raised somewhat. above the upper sur face of the quadrant. so as to form a transverscly extending flange l9. underneath which one edgeof the plate I) 1na v be slipped. as clearly illustrated in the drawings.

From the foregoing description, .in connection with the accompanying drawing, the operation of my improved locking device for automobiles will be apparent. In tlu-.]n-aetical use of the device. the quadrant 1 is etptippeduith the bars 1- and 11' or the equivalents thereof, somemcans bei-ng provided whereby there is a flange or imilar device at one end of the quadrant. to receive one edge of the plate 5. and a. staple or other keeper Ll at the other end of the quadrantto eo-aet with the eyes 1:! and 1 hereinbefore referred to. To apply the device, thegear shifting lever 2 is moved into neutral position and the brake lever 3 is .drawn back to a position where it will hold the brakes fully applied. 'the plate 5 is then slipped at one end underneath the flange 19 of the bar 17, and swung downward whereby the shoulder (S will engage the larake lever 3 and the arms 7 and b embrace and hold the. gear shifting lever 13 from being moved from neutral position into any other position. As the plate is slipped downward. it is manifest that it can-be thrust slightly farther underneath the flan e 1t) and thus be securelvheld in place at that end. and the linger 10 is then swung around to its operative. position over the. slot. 11 whereupon the bow of a hasp or padlock i inserted through the e ves l2 and 12-3. and the inter iosed staple 1t ard locked, whereupon the locking device will be. securely held in position and all attempts to start the car through the instrumentality of the engine or to move it by either pushing or lowing it will be frustrated. At the. same time the device may be very easily and uickly removed from applied posit-ion b v anyone equipped with the proper key to lit the padlock and thus. as will be seen, I have provided a ver v cllicicnt and durable device which mav be readily applied to an automobile or the like, for the purposes hereinbctore set forth. and which may be vcr clcarlv detached when not desired for lever and brake lever w rking therethr0ngh',.

ot' a plate applicable to said quadrant and adapted to close some. of the slots thereof, said plate having one end adapted to extend beneath the flange. the. plate being formed with arms desieied to embrace the gear shifting lever. ore of said arms extending to the opposite end of the quadrant, a laterallv movable finger carried by the other arm of said plate and adapted with the first mentioned aijm to close other slots in the quadrant. andiineans whereby the first named arm and said linger may be detachablv secured to the-quadrant.

l. The combination witha slotted automobile quadrant. oi a bar connected to one end thereof and producing a flange, a plate ap licable to ;l l\l qupdrant and. adapted to have one end extended underneath aid flange and to cover a portion of the slots of the quadrant. said plate being formed with arm adapted to embrace the gear shifting lever and one of said arms being provided with a latcrall swinging linger which, with the other arm. is adapted to close the remaining portion .of the slotted surface of the quadrant. whereby it will hold the gear shifting lever in neutral positio 1 and means for detachably connecting sai finger and said other arm to the other end 'of the qnad rant.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES l HAUCK;

Witnesses S. C. GoasUcu, llizamarr DivoLL. 

